Turkey, Qatar to establish military facilities in Libya

Photo: AA

The defense minister of the Government of National Accord (GNA) in Libya announced yesterday (August 17) they agreed with Turkey and Qatar to sign a tripartite deal for military cooperation to boost capabilities of the Libyan military.

According to the media office of GNA-led Burkan Al-Ghadab (Volcano of Rage) Operation, Salah Al-Namroush said Turkey and Qatar will establish facilities in Libya for military training and consultancy.

Al-Namroush also added that as part of the deal, Turkey and Qatar will send consultants and military personnel to Libya.

Defense ministers of the two countries emphasized that they would support the political solution and the "legitimate government," he added.

Trilateral meeting between defense ministers

Earlier in the day, Minister of National Defense Hulusi Akar held a trilateral meeting with his Qatari counterpart Khalid bin Mohammad Al Attiyah and Libyan premier Fayez al-Sarraj in Tripoli.

Akar, accompanied by Chief of General Staff Gen. Yaşar Güler, visited the Libyan prime minister's office for the meeting.

He also visited the Defense Security Cooperation and Training Assistance Advisory Command that was established as part of a memorandum of understanding between Turkey and Libya.

The minister also held another trilateral meeting with his Qatari counterpart and Libya's Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha.

On November 27, 2019, Ankara and the Tripoli government signed two memorandums of understanding; one on military cooperation and the other on maritime boundaries of countries in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The maritime pact asserted Turkey's rights in the Eastern Mediterranean in the face of "unilateral drilling" by Southern Cyprus, stating that Northern Cyprus also has rights to the resources in the area. It went into effect on December 8.

Following the military cooperation deal, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said Ankara may consider sending troops or other fighters to Libya if the Tripoli government made such a request.

Minister: We are on the right side

Minister Akar spoke to reporters in Libya about the specifics of his visit.

"We are here upon the invitation of the Government of National Accord (GNA) that was recognized by the United Nations (UN). We will continue standing with our Libyan brothers and sisters in the future, with whom we share a common history and culture of 500 years," he said.

"We will do everything that is needed in order for Libya to maintain its integrity, security and the prosperity of its people."

"We also conduct humanitarian aid work here and provide every kind of support for hospitals. Our bomb squads are working against those who have planted explosives everywhere. We are doing everything we can to protect civilians from harm," he said.

"We are on the right side. We support the UN-recognized government and Libya's territorial and political integrity. We care about the welfare of its people. We do everything in our power to maintain the cease-fire," said Akar.

"Everyone should see the mass graves in Tarhuna and know what really happened there. We now know who supported [Haftar's] illegal forces against the GNA. We hope that peace will prevail here soon and our brothers and sisters in Libya will live in security."

Eastern Mediterranean

Commenting on the Eastern Mediterranean situation, Akar said Turkey is working completely in line with international law in order to protect its own rights and interests, and those of its "brothers" in Northern Cyprus.

"What we do in the Eastern Mediterranean is completely transparent. We respect our neighbors' rights and interests; we always say that we are on the side of being good neighbors. We will continue doing everything we can to secure the result of our work in the near future," the minister said.

He reiterated that the exclusive economic zone agreement between Greece and Egypt was completely "null and void."

"This agreement is not just void, it also puts the Egyptian and Greek people at a disadvantage. We invite everyone to be reasonable about this; everyone has to see that a fait accompli will not be of any benefit to anyone," said the minister. (VK)